


The Death of You [Portgus D.Ace x Reader]

by Bokuhoeto



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:00:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27183496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bokuhoeto/pseuds/Bokuhoeto
Summary: He'll be the death of you.
Relationships: Ace/Reader, Portgas D. Ace/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	1. In Awe

**Author's Note:**

> You're OP in the first chapter, but that changes, I promise :) There's going to be some smut in a later chapter and I'll let you know when it'll appear!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter is just short and sweet! There's not much to it but I hope you enjoy!

You sat in a loud bar, pirates you were familiar with and pirates you weren't were all cheering and talking loudly around you. This was where you most comfortable. You loved seeing these people get in playful-and sometimes not so playful- fights. A comically large man with a white beard curving upwards sat at a table with men sitting all around him, laughing and drinking their beer. You knew this man as Whitebeard. He frequented the island you lived on for years and so you knew who his crew members were, give or take a few. 

You were sure he knew you, maybe not by name but at least by face since he would sometimes grin in your direction and raise his large barrel of beer. You would smile back, holding your much smaller glass up. It never occurred to you that there was a possibility he had seen your wanted poster. He was a Yonko and you were nothing to him. You were simply a lower pirate who didn't even have a crew anymore. 

"Hey, Don, can I get-" you weren't able to finish your sentence before a slimy looking man who you assumed to be a pirate came up next to you at the bar, slinging his arm around her shoulder.

"Why don't you let me get a drink, sweetie." he smirked, proudly showing his missing teeth. 

Immediately you felt uncomfortable and shrugged his arm off of you with a disgusted look on your face. "No thanks, I'm fine with buying my own." This was something you were slightly used to which doesn't make it any better. 

"What? I can't buy you a drink? Aren't ladies supposed to want men to buy them drinks? You can get drunk for free!" he almost looked offended, but cackled loudly at the last part. 

"No. You can't buy me a drink. No. Ladies don't always want men to buy them drinks. I can get drunk with my own money. It's much better actually because I don't particularly enjoy getting drunk with sleazy men's money. They have a bad habit of thinking that just because I drink what they bought me, I own them something." 

The man's lip curled up and his face distorted into something even more grotesque and now it was obvious he was angry. Little did you know, the entire bar had gone silent. The regulars knew exactly where this was going and sat at the edge of their seat, waiting for what you would do next. Whitebeard and his crew were sitting in a corner in front of you. A man with black hair and no shirt on tried to get up from the chair to help you, but Whitebeard's large hand gently pushed him down. You had no clue that this powerful man actually knew who you were. He shook his head to the man, which was his way of saying, 'just let her handle it. She's able.' He looked up to the larger man and took his word for it, slowly sitting back down. 

The sleazy pirate who was trying to hit on you reached for the sword that hung loosely on his hip. But before he could even wrap his hand around it, you stood from the chair. Your leg coming up close to your head and your foot smashed into his face. The force of it brought him to the ground and his head went through the wooden floor, the planks coming up around his face. He coughed and his eyes went white in defeat. 

"Captain!" a few pirates yelled out, leaping up from their seats. 

A laugh bubbled up from your throat and you had to cover your mouth to keep it from coming out. "T-That guy was your captain? Oh man, I'm so sorry!" 

They were all about to charge at you, swords and guns drawn, but you simply glanced over at them before they were cowering like animals who had just been beaten. 

Leaning down to the disgusting pirate who was passed out, you sigh, "You know, if you're trying to hit on a woman, you probably shouldn't be drawing your sword at them. Especially if you don't know how to use it."

Ace's eyes widened as he saw those men fall to the ground. He could tell that wasn't even the full extent of what you were capable of and he didn't even know if you were a devil fruit user. 

You let out a little huff as you sat back down, pointing to your empty glass. "Don, can I get that drink now?" 

The entire bar erupted in laughter and cheers. Don handed you your ale. "That one's on the house-If you'll let me!" he chuckled. 

"Only for you, Don!" you laughed along with everybody else. They all raised their glasses in unison and you did they same. You caught the eye of the shirtless guy who seemed to simply be in awe of you. A small smile was on his face and when your eyes met, his cheeks flushed slightly and his grin grew. Your own cheeks flushed and you quickly turned to the ale, hoping that your hair would hide the embarrassed color on your own face. You smiled though, he was extremely attractive and seemed like a sweet guy. It looked like he wanted to to come and talk to you and his crewmates noticed, even Whitebeard. 

"Come on boy, go talk to her!" his captain slapped a large hand on his back making Ace lurch forward and spilling his beer on the table. 

"Pops!" he drug out his name and groaned. "I-she doesn't look like she takes well to guys coming up and talking to her..." and he really wanted to talk to you. Seeing you taking care of those guys and kicking their asses while barely lifting a finger...oh he was already in love. While he was normally pretty flirtatious with women and knew how to talk to them, you were the first woman he found intimidating. 

You could hear their conversation as it was pretty loud and the bar you were in wasn't the largest. But you decided, that even though you were flustered, you would say something to him. Turning to his direction, you spoke, "You know, if you don't approach me like that-" you pointed to the pirate on the ground, "I don't bite. Or kick for that matter. So as long as you don't draw a sword or a gun on me-although I don't see any on you-I think you'll be okay." your eyes went up and down his body and doing so made you flush again. 

Ace was a bit taken aback by your directness towards him. He looked up to Whitebeard and over to a blonde man on his right. 

"You heard her! Don't keep the lass waiting, boy!" Whitebeard laughed out.

"Well?" you cocked an eyebrow and tilted your head in his direction, but didn't make eye contact with him. "He's right, you shouldn't keep a girl waiting!" 

Quickly, he stood up from his seat, the loud sound of the legs scraping against the wooden floor echoed around the room and it fell to the ground. Ace could feel his body heat up from nervousness, more than usual and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. He made his way over to you and sat down, stepping over the man on the floor. All of his crewmates' eyes were on him. "Go back to your beers!" he yelled out to them, waving his hand. "Sorry, did I keep you waiting too long?" he grins and asks for another drink. 

"Actually, yeah." you sighed out in a sarcastic manor. "Way too long for my liking. I didn't think you'd need a helping hand to come over and talk to me." you chuckled out. "What? Were you too shy?" 

"No! I just didn't want that to be me next!" Ace laughed as he looked down at the man who was still unconscious from your kick to his face. 

"Don't worry, that only happens to the gross, sleazy men who can't take no for an answer. You don't seem like any of those-in fact, you barely took yes for an answer. Without his help I would've thought you didn't even want to talk to me." you pouted at your last sentence. 

He rolled his eyes smiling and turned his whole body to face you. "Well I do want to talk to you. I'm Ace!" he introduced himself and the smile on his face grew even brighter. 

This boy was surely going to be the death of you with that smile.


	2. Siren of the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some slight backstory of the reader and some fluff!

The two of you were in the bar talking for hours. His crewmates had all gone and told him that they were going back to their ship after the long night of drinking so you were now the only people in the bar aside from the bartender, Don. He let the both of you stay after hours, he hadn't seen you get along with someone this well in a long while and it made him happy to see someone making you smile. 

"So how come they call you 'Siren of the Sea'?" Ace questioned, taking the last swig of his ale. It was something he hadn't brought up yet in your conversation. 

"So you do know more than you let on? You know at least a little bit about me without me having to tell you." you raised a brow at him and chuckled. "I'd ask why they call you 'Fire Fist Ace' but I think that's kind of self explanatory."

"So you do know more than you let on?" he mimicked you as he let out a laugh. 

"...Maybe...You never answered my question!" 

"Maybe I do, maybe I've seen your wanted poster around, and maybe I keep it on my dresser-who knows!" the fiery man joked, shrugging when he laughed again. 

"Oh my god you're such a creep!" you couldn't help but giggled along with him. "...You are joking, right?" 

"Of course I am!" he feigned like he was hurt by the accusation. "I have seen your wanted poster though. 'Siren of the Sea' has a pretty nice ring to it." 

"I haven't been called that in a long time though. I didn't even know my wanted poster was still circulating. I haven't been out to sea in years. At least not as a pirate. I still try to keep a low profile just in case the Marines see me. I'm sure they're still looking for me." your voice drifted off as you reminisced the days as a pirate, but you shook the feeling off. "I'll just say that I'm an okay singer and leave it at that."

"That would explain why I don't see a crew of yours here." he pointed out. 

You only hummed in response, not meeting his eyes and chugging the rest of your ale. Ace could tell that was somewhat of a sore subject to you for whatever reason it may be and he dropped it. "When are you going to be leaving? Um...I had a nice time talking to you and...I wouldn't mind seeing you again. I know you guys come back to this island a lot so I don't know when you'd be back but maybe when you do we could see each other again. If you want..." 

Ace's eyes lit up and he could feel his body temperature rising causing the air around him to heat up as well making you fan yourself from the heat. "We aren't going to be leaving for another two days I think. Marco and the nurses have to restock all of the medical supplies, and Thatch has to get restock the kitchen for us." 

"I know some good market places that are pretty deep in the city if your friend, Thatch, wants some help with that? You can come too! They have really good food there. I used to stock up there when I'd go out and the merchants are really nice. You can usually haggle with them a little bit if you're lucky. Except Gloria...Don't haggle with Gloria. She'll have you paying triple your price. I learned that the hard way." you roll your eyes, smiling fondly of the memories. "There's also a place up in the mountains where Marco can get some medicinal herbs if he knows which ones to pick."

"I'm sure they'd appreciate that!" Ace grinned at the thought of being able to spend more time with you, even if it was with his friends, he'd be able to introduce you to them. "Why don't we meet in front of Moby Dick at noon and we can go from there?"

"That sounds good to me. I didn't realize how late it was though...You should probably get some rest. I'm going to stay back and help Don clean up." you say to him while getting up from your seat. 

"I can help if you need it!" he offered, he really just wanted to be around you for as long as he could. But in reality, he needed the rest because of how drunk he actually was. His words weren't slurred and he tried his best to not wobble. but you caught on. 

"It's okay, don't worry about it. We'll see each other tomorrow!" you reached around the bar to grab him a water bottle and handed it to him. "I think you need this too." you chuckled and steadied him as he wobbled. "Drink it, okay?" 

He smiled at you, a lopsided grin that made your own heart smile. "I'll see you tomorrow!" Ace waved to you, still not wanting to leave but knowing he needed to get back to the ship, and knowing full and well that he'd be bombarded with questions from his crewmates about what happened, how it went, and if their little Ace was 'in looove~'

Once he was gone, you turned to Don who smiled softly at you. "(Y/n), do you know how nice it is to see you smiling like that again?" 

"It feels nice. It really does. I still feel guilty though and I don't think I deserve it. I know that I have to move on but, Don, it's so hard."

His gaze softened and he came around to the front of the bar, putting his hand on your shoulder. "You deserve it. In your heart, you know that. He would want you to move on. He loved you and that little girl so much. He'd want you to be happy again and find someone." 

"I know... I know I do.. and I know he would." your breath was shaky and you put your hand on top of his. "It's bittersweet coming in here sometimes...seeing all of the crews with their captains kind of helps fill the holes. But seeing them all so happy with everyone.. it's not easy. It reminds me of my crew. I know most of the captains that come in here would do anything for them and I tried but it wasn't enough. It didn't even matter how strong I got, it wasn't enough to help them." you walked around the bar gathering the glasses as you tried your best to keep the tears and your voice from cracking. 

Don knew how tough it was for you to talk about your crew. When you'd come in with them after docking on the island, you'd all be so cheerful and boisterous. But one day you came in without them and you were a bloodied mess. 

"I miss knowing what it's like to have an entire crew dote on you and love you and protect you...even when you can't protect them." 

Ace was outside of the door, about to open it because he didn't want to forget to give you his vivre card. He stopped when he heard your voice cracking while you were talking about your crew. You talked about them passionately and with love. He wondered if he talked to Pops about you coming along with them, especially after you were going to help Thatch and Marco-who you didn't even know, that maybe he'd let you join them. Ace didn't want to disturb you and he surely didn't want you to know that he just heard all of that about you. After all, it was your story to tell him and not his to eavesdrop on. 

***** 

You were excited the next day to see him again. It was the first time in quite some time that you woke up with a smile on your face. You were so thrilled that you didn't even eat breakfast, you just got ready and went to Don's bar, instead helping him get ready for the rush that was going to happen at lunch so you could pass the time. 

When you opened the door, Ace was sitting down at a table and eating with the two of his friends. There were plates piled up around him and you chuckled. "Well there's your lunch rush, Don." You took a bunch of the plates that were on the table and put them on the bar, "Hi Ace!" you greeted him with a smiled and he did the same except he still had a piece of meat in his mouth, "That's so gross!" But you couldn't help but let a quiet laugh out seeing that he was still thrilled to see you. He tried to introduce you to the others that were at the table but you interrupted him. "Why don't you wait until your food and then I'll be able to understand you."

Ace swallowed a comically large amount of food that made your eyes widen when he started to pound on his chest, while his friends simply watched in amusement. "I-is he okay?" 

"He's perfectly fine!" the yellow haired man responded to you. 

He coughed a few times but was finally able to speak. "This is Marco and Thatch!" he introduces you to them enthusiastically while he pointed to them with the bone he was holding. 

"It's nice to meet you, (y/n)-yoi." Marco held a hand out and smiled warmly while you accepted it and shook it. 

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Siren of the Sea." Thatch took your hand and kissed your knuckles. 

"Oi!" Ace reached across the table and hit Thatch on the head with the bone he had. 

"Ow! What's your problem?!" Thatch rubbed his head and glared at the fiery man. 

Ace simply glared back at him, not wanting tell him that he was jealous. Thatch knew exactly what he was doing and just wanted to get a rise out of the younger male. 

You turned to Marco who was watching the two glare at each other. "So I assume you know medicinal leaves? If that's what you need then there's a few pretty rare plants and berries that you can use to stop bleeding if you grind them up. Lucky for you, you came at the perfect time because some of these only grow in the fall. The only problem is that some of only grow on the tops of trees or they're really far up the mountain so it's a bit of a hike." you purse your lips and shrug. "But it's worth it, especially if you're able to find the Tiger Lily. It helps reduce fevers and regulates body temperature when you're sick." 

Marco seemed impressed by how much you knew about the plants that grew on your island. Although it's to be expected if you grew up here. "You're very knowledgeable. When Ace told me you knew where to get them I didn't think you'd know so much about them as well."

"I read a lot of books and my doctor taught me a lot about them too." your smile faltered slightly when you talked about your doctor on board your ship but you quickly regained it, "I like to know about it too, just in case anything happens and I need treatment but can't get any. It's always nice to know information, even if you might not need it for yourself. It could be of use to someone else."

He nodded at your words and Ace was finally done eating all of his food after he stopped glaring at Thatch. "I'm ready! Did you eat, (y/n)?" 

"No, I'm not too hungry. But thank you!" 

Don tossed a sandwich in your direction. "I know you and you're going to get hungry while you're in that market." he wasn't wrong. You caught the wrapped sandwich and with that, the three of you headed out. 

Ace liked that you were talking with Marco and Thatch. It seemed like you were getting along well with the two of them and had things in common with each. He couldn't help but smile while watching you after overhearing what you had said to Don. Although he didn't know the whole story of how and why you lost your crew, it hurt him to know that you thought it was your fault. He wanted to ask you about it but wasn't going to pry into your life when it was obviously hard to talk about in the first place. 

Thatch wandered off into the market and was intrigued at the new things he hadn't seen before and was excited to buy all of these new meats and vegetables for the crew. Marco on the other hand opted to fly up the mountain, leaving you in awe as you saw the bright blue and yellow wings sprout from him. Of course you had heard of Marco the Phoenix but you had never had the chance to see it in person and it was more beautiful than you'd imagined it. 

"Well, it seems they've left us." you pouted and looked up at the dark haired man who was drooling over all of the food in the market place. "You wanna try some of the food? Sometimes they'll let you try samples of the meats." 

Ace immediately perked up. "They do?" he asked enthusiastically and you nodded. 

"This stall-" you led him over to a stall that had all sorts of smoked meats. "has the best jerky you'll ever taste!" you were almost drooling because you hadn't had it in such a long time so you just bought some for the two of to eat. He took the piece you gave to him and he all but melted at the taste. "I take it you like it?" you smile and take a bite of your own, relishing in the flavor. 

"Thatch has got to buy some of this!" he said loudly. "Pops has to try this too! And speaking of Pops, he wants to talk to you!" 

You stopped chewing your food and your body felt frozen. Had you done something wrong? "W-Why does Whitebeard want to talk to me...?" 

"Dunno." he lied and shrugged his shoulders. 

You narrowed your eyes at him and when he tried to grab another piece of jerky from you, you pulled it away. "Why does Whitebeard want to talk to me...? He's a Yonko...What does a Yonko want with me? Did you say anything about me?" 

"Dunno." he repeated himself, ignoring your last question. "Come on~! Gimme another piece! Please!" he gave you these sickeningly cute puppy dog eyes and you sighed, letting him grab another. 

***** 

The rest of the day spent with Ace was nice. You hadn't felt like this for a long time and you knew that it was time you moved on. It wasn't easy but you could do it. Marco and Thatch came back to you two, Marco showing you what medicinal herbs he got, and Thatch telling Ace about what he got to make for the crew over the next few weeks. It was getting darker and Ace reminded you about "Pops" wanting to talk. Your stomach was in knots and you felt sick. You didn't think he was going to kill you or anything, but the thought of a Yonko wanting to speak to you personally made you a little nervous. 

Ace went up to the ship and you followed along with his two friends. Your hands were sweaty and your cheeks were flushed a dark pink because of how flustered and anxious you felt. "Hey Pops!" the man grinned up to the larger older man who was sitting down with a string of nurses surrounding him. "She came!" 

You gave a small wave and smile. Whitebeard could tell just how tense you were which he thought was strange considering the last time he saw you, you were taking down a small crew without a weapon. "Let me talk to her in private." he shooed the nurses away and Ace frowned, he wanted to be there when he asked you. He complied and left the two of you talk by yourselves. "There's nothing to be nervous about, Lass." He smiled softly down at you and continued. "I know what happened to your crew. It was in the papers for weeks and while I don't exactly know the extent of it...I know you're hurting still. It isn't easy losing those who are like family and are family, especially to those bastard Marines." 

You bit your bottom lip harshly and your chin started to quiver, your eyes staring at the wooden floor as he spoke. It wasn't often that your past was brought up but two times in two days was enough for you to want to break down. You felt his heavy hand on your back and he pulled you close to him. "If you'd let me and my crew, I want you to become part of my family."


	3. A Promise (NSFW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some sweet NSFW in this chapter but you don't have to read that part, just up to it is what's important! Also Reader is about 22! 
> 
> If anyone wants to listen to the song Reader was singing, this is it! It's a very sad and slow song and I thought it was perfect for this Reader who's going through a rough time. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzc_aX8c8g4

It didn't even feel like six months had gone by. It had been years since you felt genuine happiness because of other people-let alone a crew. But they weren't your crew, they were your family-your brothers. Except for Ace, he was more than that. He was your safety net, your security, your love. It only took six months for him to weasel his way into your heart. It was something you never though another man could do because you always thought your heart belonged to your first. You told yourself time and time again, that you know he'd want you to be happy. Just like if something were to ever happen to you. You wouldn't want him to be sad and think that he was never allowed to love again. It was years since he was gone and you deserved to be and feel loved again.

The orange moon hung low in the night sky and it was nearly full. The reflection it cast on the water made the sky light up even brighter. You rested your head on your arms that were crossed on the railing. It was quiet out and you took it all in. The only sounds were the soft waves crashing against the ship and the few chirps of the birds that were out at night, flying above the sails. 

You sighed heavily and bit your lip, tears brimming from your eyes as you recall that it was going to be the day your family was ripped from you. You wiped the tears away with your arm and began to sing to yourself and the sea. 

"I stay up all night~  
Tell myself I'm alright ~  
Baby you're just harder to see than most ~  
I put the record on~  
Wait 'till I hear our song~  
Every night I'm dancing ~  
with your ghost~  
Never got the chance ~  
To say your last goodbye ~  
Gotta move one ~  
But it hurts to try~"

Your breath got caught in your throat a few times but you continued on until there were no more lyrics left to sing.

"So that's why they call you 'Siren of the Sea." Ace had been leaning against the wall behind you, taking in your beautiful voice like it was the last thing he was going to hear. Your shoulders dropped and Ace walked over to you and rested his head on your shoulders while he snaked his arms around your waist and leaned into you. "I've never heard anything like that before. I've never heard you sing before either. I didn't know your voice was so soothing." he smiled and kissed your neck. He paused for a moment before he spoke again. "Was that song about someone?" 

It wasn't until you felt him rub gentle circles on your waist. Somehow, you knew he had found out. "Yeah..." you turned around in his arms and rested your head on his chest for a few minutes. He was warm and the silence was comfortable. His hand rubbed your back up and down and he placed a kiss on your head. After another minute, you pulled away and sat down on a barrel. "Sit..." you motioned to the other one that was next to you and he complied. You had never opened up to Ace about any of this yet, only Whitebeard knew of the little details of what happened to you. 

Ace pulled the barrel closer to you and rested his hand on your leg. He knew this was going to be hard for you so he sat there quietly and patiently. 

You look a deep breath and began. "So you know that I was a pirate at one point. I had a crew and they were my family just as much as you are to yours. When I was about six, I met my best friend, and later my husband. He and I wanted to be pirates. But because of the family we come from, we weren't even allowed to think about becoming pirates. Long story short, we came from money. I saved up my allowance and hid it in the attic. My mom didn't find it until I was, maybe fourteen or fifteen? I stupidly wrote on my jar of money 'pirate ship.' The next time I got my allowance, she was up there, screaming and yelling at me that I was to never become something that's so uncivilized and barbaric." you chuckled and shook your head. "She wasn't wrong, but it was the freedom I wanted. When you're being trained to rule over a country, you don't get that freedom-" 

"You're a princess?!" Ace's eyes widened and he almost leaped off of his seat. "Oh my god you're a princess! My girlfriend is an actual princess!" 

"Well, technically I'd be a Queen right now." you shrugged your shoulders. "But that's besides the point." 

"QUEEN?! I mean I already know you were my Queen, but a ruler of a country?!" 

Your cheeks flushed a deep red that was still easily visible at night considering how bright it was outside. "Ace you're being loud..." 

He laughed loudly, despite being told of his volume. "But you're a Queen!" 

"Not anymore...Ace...please." 

"Oh.. Sorry..." he composed himself and let you continue your story.

"She kept an extra close eye on me after that and I didn't get anymore money for myself. They kept it. One day I snuck out and my best friend and I went down to the docks where there were tons of ships bringing in shipments for us. Then I saw a ship with a Jolly Roger. It was a skull with two swords crossed in the back and two red stripes over the left eye. I later learned that that ship belonged to Red Haired Shanks. I'm not exactly sure what he was doing on my island but I know he's a Yonko now, but not at that time I don't think. He was really nice to us and let me hold his sword and said I was a natural." you chuckled at the memory. "After seeing Red Hair, that's when I knew I wanted to become a pirate. I begged him, on my hands and knees, my forehead to the ground, to take us with him and to take me away from this place. He didn't say yes at first-but then I told him I knew where my family kept all of our valuables and that if he took me to get a ship I'd let him keep whatever he wanted. All he had to do was steal it from them. It was mostly his crew that told him to do it, he didn't seem too interested in the valuables."

"You met two Yonko in your life and have lived to tell the tale?" he says jokingly, but knowing full and well that Whitebeard would never do anything to hurt you. 

"I know, terrifying isn't it?" you joke back, appreciating that he was making this light-hearted and making you smile throughout. "He did though. I helped too, and told my best friend to meet us as the dock again. I said that he and I were a package deal so if I went, he was coming too. After that, I was free. It felt...amazing. Shanks and his crew were really helpful. They helped us get stronger and even let us have more of the money and jewels so we could get what we needed after we got our ship. It took about six months and they even stayed with us to make sure we were safe. That's around when my husband and I started to get a lot closer. We were "boyfriend and girlfriend" when we were like, eight, but I thought he was a really annoying boyfriend so I dumped him." you laugh again. 

"Look at you being a heartbreaker!" 

"I know, I was breaking hearts left and right!" 

"Just don't go breaking mine, okay?" Ace said, squeezing your leg. 

"I wouldn't dream of it. Do you promise you won't break mine?" 

"I promise." another squeeze on your leg, this time in reassurance. 

You smile tenderly at the man and looked down. "Shanks gave him pointers on how to flirt with me and ask me out...We were together for three years and were about 20 before we found a little girl on an island. She must have been around four or five years old. A bunch of pirates had destroyed that little island and that poor girl was one of the few people who survived it all. We took her in and she became why we were all so happy. She made us laugh and with every little thing she did. She made the toughest of the men dance with her and they had no objections to it because it made her smile." 

Ace watched your face as you talked about the girl, he noticed that you brightness in your eyes faded as he knew you were getting to the worst part. You paused and took another deep breath. 

"We were about to go into the New World. We thought we were ready and I still think we were. But we were just terribly, terribly unlucky that day." your lip began to quiver as you recalled that day vividly. "Before I knew it, my ship stopped in the middle of the sea. It was frozen and there was a Marine ship coming towards us. An admiral. Aokiji. It didn't even take them long to capture me. Everything that happened that day was such a blur. The only thing I really remember is being chained on the Marines ship as I watched my own be cut in half." you put your hand over your mouth in an attempt to stifle the sob that was about to be let out. Ace frowned, hating seeing you like this as he never had. He held you, letting you cry. 

"It's okay..." he rubbed your back, trying his best to comfort you. 

Through your quiet sobs, you still spoke, "She didn't know how to swim...and he was a devil fruit user. I watched my entire crew drown and I couldn't do a single thing about it! I told them there was a child on board and they did look for her...but it was too late..."

Ace didn't know what to tell you and thought that maybe silence was the best answer. 

"That was the day I lost everything.. I became a widow that day...wow. That's the first time I've said that..." you broke down further after saying that. Your body trembled and Ace felt it as he attempted to console you. He couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't stop your crying and make you feel better. Though he was making you feel better. Just him being there and hold you was plenty enough for you. 

Ace's soft voice pulled you out of your episode. "Why don't we go to my room? It's late and it's cold out..." 

Even though he kept you warm, you sniffled, and nodded your head. You got up and Ace held onto you, but he noticed how slowly you were walking and picked you up. Normally you'd protest but tonight was different and you just curled up into his chest. He kissed the top of your head, reassuring you that he was here. Ace set you down on his bed and sat between your legs, wiping away your tears with his thumbs, holding your face in his hands. "It's okay to cry. You can let it out when you need to and I'll understand. He was important to you and I don't want you to think you can't be sad about him anymore. It doesn't matter how long it's been, you love him, I know you always will. I'm sure it isn't easy to lose someone that you love so much. I can't say that I completely understand and I won't pretend like I can because I haven't had a lover die. But I'll be here for you if you want to talk about it."

Him saying that just made you want to cry even more. Something was tell you that you weren't allowed to cry about it now that you were with someone. You needed to hear those words. Ace always knew what to say, you didn't think that way when you first met him. He seemed very dorky, but in a good way, a very good way. That's what drew you to him in the first place. He knew how to make you smile and cheer you up when you were sad even if he didn't know why and he never pried. 

You put your hands over his and leaned into his touch. "But I love you, too, though." 

He was stunned for a moment. "Y-you do?" 

"You don't have to say it back if you don't want to or you're not ready, but I want you to know that I do. I love you. I know I do because this is how I felt with him and I know that was love. I don't want you to think that I'm comparing you two, because I'm not. You're both very different people. But my heart feels warm when I'm near you. My stomach is always doing flips when you touch me and whenever you say something nice to me, I can feel how hot my face gets. You just make me feel safe."

"Yeah, your face is pretty hot." he grinned and kissed your lips. "I like it when you get flustered-Like right now-" Ace was smiling from ear to ear. "-and that I make you feel safe. That's my job!" he pressed your lips to his once again, pulling you close to him. "I've been ready to say that I love you since I met you." he deepened the kiss between you both as he got up from the floor and sat beside you. His warm hand went to the back of your neck and it sent shivers up your spine. He pulled away to look at you. "We don't have to keep going. I'll get it. We can just lie down and talk if you want to." 

"N-no! It's okay! I-I want to...I just haven't..it's been a while." your cheeks flushed, not with embarrassment about not having sex in years because you knew that it wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. You were just nervous. Especially now that Ace knew what your past was like. He was understanding and kind. He didn't want to ever make you feel uncomfortable and he knew you were vulnerable right now and didn't want you to take that as him trying to take advantage of you. But he hadn't tried anything in the six months you were together. He wanted it to happen on your terms and you seemed to be initiating it right now. 

After two years, this was the first time you had began to get even the slightest bit intimate with. Part of you was proud of yourself because you were moving on. Your late husband shouldn't be holding you back, you knew that. You knew he would be happy that you found someone who made you happy and boy, did Ace make you happy. 

"Do you want me to take it slow?" he asked gently and you nodded your head. "Tell me if you want to stop okay?" he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and he leaned in to you when he got your confirmation. His lips softly pressed against yours and he brought you closer to him. The heat from his body radiating off of him making you comfortably warm. Ace shifted the two of you, pulling your legs up onto the bed and situating himself between your hips as he straddled you. Your arms wrapped around his neck and you deepened the kiss while your fingers played with his tousled, black hair. He elicited a quiet moan from your mouth as he ran his fingers up and down your waist and to your hips, drawing gentle patterns with his thumbs. You brought your hips up into his hands more and broke the kiss to bring his lips to your neck. 

You forgot how much you loved the feeling of a man's hands all over your body. Ace's hot hands tugged at the hem of your shirt and you sat up slightly so he would be able to take it off. It was tossed across the room as soon it it was off your torso. You thought you didn't feel cold but your pointed nipples said otherwise. Ace took one in his mouth while his other hand kneaded your other breast. He thought it fit so perfectly in them which made his cock twitch. His tongue circled around around your nipple and he took it between his teeth gently, he didn't want to hurt you the first time you two were together. He switched breasts, but this time, his other hand snaked down your stomach and he began to play with your sweats you were wearing. 

Your breath was getting ragged and he could feel how hard your heart was beating. It sounded like it wanted to come right out of your chest. "Do you want me to keep going?" 

"Y-yes.. please.." 

Ace smiled and his hand disappeared into your sweats. He didn't expect that you weren't wearing any underwear and smirked to himself. He didn't touch you completely yet. His warm fingers played with the sides of your pussy first, rubbing them up and down before they began to play with your lips. They dipped down to your slit and he could feel how wet you already were. Ace circled around a few times before going to your clit and began to gently rub it, feeling out how you were going to react. 

He saw your mouth part and your eyes close and you hummed in satisfaction. You didn't know it, but you were tense at first but the way he was rubbing your clit made your body relax. Your fingers tangled in his hair and he couldn't get enough of the soft moans in his ear. It ended too soon when he took his hand out from your sweats and pressed hot kisses down your stomach. He looked up at you as you watched him. He was careful with his actions and he grabbed both sides of your pants, waiting for you to say something in objection. When you didn't, he slid them off your legs and tossed them across the room where your shirt was. He situated himself comfortably between your thighs, wrapping his arms around them and tugging you to his mouth. You gasped at the contact, forgetting what it felt like to have a wet tongue on your sex. Ace's half lidded eyes glanced up at you while his tongue worked on your clit. He loved seeing your eyelids flutter and the way your toes curled and your back arched. 

Two fingers slid inside you while he sucked the sensitive bundle of nerves and you moaned out his name softly. He already knew that he wouldn't be able together enough of hearing how name come from your lips because of what he was doing to you. His fingers started to pump faster which only made your sounds louder, which was exactly what he wanted. He could feel your walls tighten around his fingers and how wet you were getting. You tried to grind your hips upward but he pushed them down on to the bed and you let out a groan. Ace smirked and he could tell that you were starting to near your climax. He teased you, taking his tongue from your clit and his fingers out of you so he could lap at the juices that were coming out of you. "Ace please.." your voice was shaky and you lifted yourself onto your elbows to look at him. "Ace I need you..." 

He looked up, his chin slick with your juice. Ace wiped it off of his face and he smiled now. He got up on his knees and took off his shorts and boxers. Your face immediately flushed and you averted your gaze to anywhere but his dick. "I...I want make you feel good first..." 

Ace lifted his brow. "Oh?" 

You got up onto your knees and took his shoulders, guiding him down on the bed. Now it couldn't be helped, you had to look down at him. You bit your lip, but when you saw his cock, you couldn't help but lick your lips now. Your hand wrapped around his hard cock and his breath caught in his throat. It turned him on even more to see you like that-shy, yet confident. You glanced up at him as you made yourself comfortable between his legs and leaned down to lick from the bottom of his shaft to the tip, circling it with your tongue. He groaned, taking deep breath. His bottom lip was between his teeth. Sure he'd thought about you doing this and how you'd look, but my god, you looked so much better than he'd ever even imagined. His fingers ran gently through your hair as he watched you take half of his cock in your mouth, bobbing your head up and down. He tried to keep his own noises down but hearing the noises you were making where sucking him was making it quite difficult. It didn't take long for you to have his entirety in your mouth and almost down your throat. You gagged a few times but continued, wanting to make him feel good just like he did for you. 

"Fuck just like that.." he groaned when your hand went to his balls. The further down you took him the closer he got because he fucking loved being deep throated. The feeling of your tight throat taking his cock in made him want to cum down your throat, but he held off since he enjoyed watching his cock disappear into your mouth while you sucked him. But he had to stop you before he finished. His fingers gripped your hair and he pulled you up, noticing how you almost gasped for air when you came up made his cock twitch. "I'm going to cum if you keep that up." he said in an almost dangerous tone. 

"What if I want that?" 

"Too bad I want to cum somewhere else." he flipped you over and reached into his nightstand next to his bed. He wanted to cum inside you, but he wasn't about to get you pregnant. Ace took a condom out and ripped it open with his teeth, spitting a piece of the wrapper out on the floor and got the condom out. He slid it over himself and asked you one more time. "You want me to keep going?" 

There was no hesitation when you nodded your head. "Don't worry. I'd tell you if I wanted you to stop." you tangled your fingers in his hair and pulled him down to your lips, kissing him fiercely and passionately. He immediately kissed you back. One of his hands went to his cock and slid it up and down your wet pussy and you both moaned into the kiss. He did that a few times before he easily slipped it inside you. You weren't able to suppress the louder moan when you finally felt him stretch you. His length felt amazing inside of you and he started to move. Both yours and his breath hitched and you deepened this kiss to try to keep your moans from getting any louder. 

One hand was beside your head, keeping himself while he broke the kiss to watch your face. Your eyes were closed and your lips were parted slightly while moans quietly escaped. Ace picked up the pace of his thrusts, kissing your forehead before he sat up and grabbed you hips. He gripped them tighter when he felt your walls clench around him, making him groan sexily. His other hand went to your clit and rubbed circles around it and he watched your eyes widen and you bit your bottom lip. "It's okay to let it out. I'm sure they already know what we're doing." he said this as he fucked you harder and made the headboard hit the wall. 

At this point, you didn't even care anymore and your moans were still quiet, but he could hear them so much better now. He could feel himself getting closer and closer. He knew you were getting there too because the more he rubbed your clit, the more your walls tightened. "Ace don't stop~I'm gonna cum soon.." you moaned out gripping the sheets below you. 

"I'm close too.." he grunted. Ace leaned down to kiss you gently. His thrusts started to become slightly erratic and you could tell he was about to cum. But he never stopped rubbing your bundle of nerve and you felt as if you were about to explode. Your stomach and pussy felt warm and you cried out his name as your orgasm hit you. Your walls contracted around his cock and his breathing picked up before he groans your name, "(Y/n).. I'm cumming..." it didn't take long before he came into the condom. You felt him throbbing inside you while he came. You were still cumming and you hand to push his hand away from your not overstimulated clit. He pulled out slowly and smiled softly down at you. Ace took the condom off and threw it in the trash next to his bed. The two of you caught your breath while he lie next to you and pulled you close to him. 

"I-I haven't felt that good..in-in a long time." you say breathlessly and turned to look at him face. He studied yours. The man took in the soft pink flush on your cheeks and chest. He placed his hand on your cheek and his thumb gently rubbed underneath your eyes as he noticed that you were crying. "It's been a long time and I thought I would never be able to be intimate with someone again. You make me feel so safe and comfortable." 

"I'm glad that I can be the one who makes you feel like that because I wouldn't want it any other way." he kissed you. This wasn't just a kiss, you felt the meaning behind it. It was deep, and he wanted to keep you close to him. He kissed you like he was in love with you-and he was. 

The warmth radiated off of his chest when you placed your hand on it. His warmth let you know he was there-he was real. "Promise me again. Promise me you won't leave me...Promise me that you'll keep yourself safe and you won't do anything stupid." you said after the two of you pulled back. 

"I promise I'll keep you safe. I can't promise not doing anything stupid though." he chuckled. 

"I'm serious." your brows furrowed and you pouted. 

"I promise."


	4. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not too much Ace in the chapter, but there's going to be one more before it's finished! I think this is actually the first story I've actually finished completely so I'm happy about that. Hope you enjoy!

"You know, you never told me how you escaped from the marines." Ace said with his mouth stuffed with food. The two of you were eating with the rest of the crew and you grimaced, hoping that no one else would pick up on that. It had been about a few weeks since you had told Ace everything and it was going really well. You felt like a weight was lifted off your shoulders and chest and you could truly say you had moved on. Of course there were going to be days you missed him, but you weren't letting it hold you back from loving anymore. 

Thatch looked over at you and his eyes nearly came out of his head. "You were captured by the marines?!" 

You sighed loudly, not answering and instead standing with your own plate of food. "I'm going to eat outside with Pops." It still wasn't something you really wanted to share with the crew. You weren't ready to talk about it with everyone yet, only Ace and Whitebeard knew much about it unless they had read it in the paper and not said anything to you. Thatch was obviously not one of them. You left the room without another word and that's when Ace realized what he had done. 

"Shit.." he muttered to himself. But he knew better than to go after you, knowing that you would want a little space for a while. 

When you got up on the deck, Whitebeard was sitting at his usual spot with nurses all around him and a barrel of sake in his hand. "You know you really should listen to them and not drink so much. Your poor liver must be screaming at you." you chuckle and sit down next to his foot, setting your food on the ground with a small huff.

"Well I've got some good nurses to take care of me so I should be alright." he replied, taking another large swig of sake. 

"They won't be able to do much for that rotting liver if you keep it up. Marco won't even be able to save you either." All of the nurses nodded furiously in agreement. "You gotta cut them some slack sometimes and help them out every once in a while, Pops." They all nodded again. "See?" 

He ignored all of you and continued to drink. "They teasing you too much?"

You shook your head, taking a bite of your food. "No." 

"No one's making you uncomfortable, are they?" 

"What? No.." you decided to be honest with him. "I had told Ace about everything a few weeks ago and he just now asked me how I escaped from the marines. I know he didn't mean to, but Thatch overheard it and was kind of loud about asking if I got captured by them. I was ready to talk to Ace about it, just not everyone. I don't really feel like I have to. I don't want everyone knowing my sob story and feeling bad for me." 

He looked down at you. He truly did feel bad for you, but he wouldn't tell you that. All he did was pat your head. Your shoulders relaxed and you smiled up at him, appreciating the gesture. "I haven't heard you use your devil fruit very much, or at all." 

"I don't really use it unless there's a need and we haven't gotten into any fights. I only use it to help Ace sleep if he can't, but that's not very often." you smiled to yourself, but you thought about it. You don't use your devil fruit unless you're in a fight and everyone can benefit from it so there wasn't. Your voice, for an amount of time could physically power up the people you wanted who were in a certain vicinity. It could do more than that, that was what you used it for the most while you were fighting. 

"That's a shame, I'm sure we would all love to hear you sing more often even if you aren't using your devil fruit. If it helps Ace relax, I bet it'll help the rest of us. Maybe it'll help you, too." he was right. When you sang it felt like all of your worries just floated away for those few minutes. Only to be washed right back at you, sometimes crashing harder than before. 

"It does...I bet that's why I'm always so tense and worried now."

"Worried? About what?" 

You sighed, "I...I don't know yet. Pops, there's something...My chest and shoulders have been feeling so heavy lately and it's so hard to breathe. It feels like there's an elephant sitting on my chest and it won't get off. It just pushes me further down and it gets harder and harder to take good breaths. I want to cry, and mourn...but there's nothing to mourn right now. I feel fine-I mean I don't feel fine, I just don't know why." you paused for a moment. "Pops...he hasn't done anything, we haven't even talked at all since I've been here. But Blackbeard...I don't feel comfortable around him. Whenever he's in the same room as me, I get all uneasy and it makes me just want to leave. I know you probably don't like hearing that since we're all family, but it's been on my mind for a long time. There's something dark and off about that man and I don't trust him." Little did you know that your intuition about Blackbeard was spot on. He was a cynical and horrid man and you didn't know how no one else could sense that about him. It felt so obvious to you. But you never thought he would be the catalyst for taking everything away from you. Later, you would understand. 

***** 

Months went by since you had that talk with Whitebeard. You weren't sure if he heeded your warning. But when it happened, he knew exactly what you were meant.

Thatch held the devil fruit proudly in his hands. "Hey Ace! Look what I found!" the two of them gasped over it and the rest of the crew joined in. But you noticed Blackbeard behind everyone, his eyes widening at the fruit, a sinister grin spreading across his face. It fell as soon as he saw you staring at him. You brushed past a few crew members and made your way over to him, beckoning him down to your level. He stared at you for a moment before he leaned over and you whispered lowly in his ear. 

"You should know, you don't have everyone on this ship fooled." you pulled away now to look him in the eyes. "Touch him. I dare you." The crew was silent behind you now as they realized what was happening. The air was heavy around you and some of them almost wanted to take a step away from you. Blackbeard swallowed, he didn't want this attention drawn to him. "Try me." was the last thing you said to him before you turned around. Some of the crew stiffened. 

Ace's brows furrowed. He had never seen you talk to Blackbeard before in the months you've been here. He didn't spark conversation with you and you never spoke to him. Something had to have happened in the moments they were all talking to Thatch. You walked over to them, standing near Thatch almost protectively, which Ace noticed. Blackbeard had walked off and away from the confused looks. You still stood close to him and pulled Ace over closer as well. 

Thatch laughed quietly. "I was almost a little scared of you over there, girly!"

You chuckled and pursed your lips. "Almost?! Oh come on! I can be scary! I guess you just haven't seen me when I need to be."

"Ooo~ How truly terrifying!" Thatch mused, laughing at you again as you huffed and rolled your eyes. Ace knew though. He knew that that there was something up and that he hadn't seen the extent of just how scary you could be. 

So when the two of you were alone together, he asked you about what had happened. Ace knew how you didn't talk to him, how you almost always either left the room, or stood behind or closer to him when Teach came in. 

"That..uh..that was interesting." was all he could come up with. 

"Ace. I don't trust him. Something isn't right and I don't have a good feeling about him right now. Something is going to happen and it's not going to be pleasant...I think this is why I've been feeling so weird for the past few months. I talked to Pops about it a while ago but I didn't know why. But I have a gut feeling that he's up to something. Ace, you didn't see the way he looked at that devil fruit. If looks could kill..."

He didn't know what to say. On one hand, he believed you, but on the other, he hadn't seen him do anything warrant that kind of reaction from you. Ace had been part of the crew for a lot longer than you had and Teach had never done anything bad in the time he's been there. yet he knew you weren't the kind of person to act like this without any kind of reason. 

"Thatch is in danger. If he doesn't eat that fruit as soon as possible or give it to Teach...He's going to get it from him one way or another. I can't get that smile out of my head.." you shook your head, scrunching your face in disgust and let out a shaky breath. "Just keep an eye on him-both of them. Please..."

It didn't take long. Teach knew he didn't have much time to take the fruit before Thatch ate it so he had to move fast. He made sure you were sleeping so you wouldn't get in his way because he knew you would, and he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. 

It woke you up in the middle of the night. You heard a loud crash of thunder and then a thud on the floor above you. You rubbed the sleep put of your eyes and got up, sleepily making your way up to the deck. Your voice was stuck in your throat and lip began to quiver. "No!" you screamed out when you were able to and you ran over to his body. "Thatch! Oh god no!" There was a stab wound in his back and blood was all over the deck getting washed away from the pouring rain. "Thatch! Please!" you rolled him over and he blood sputtered from his mouth. "Thatch hang in there, I'm getting Marco!" you put his head down and sprinted to his room, screaming to him while you ran. "Marco! Help!" you slipped as you round the corner to his door and threw it open. He was already getting up groggily. Your voice trembled as you spoke. "Help! It's Thatch! He was stabbed!" Immediately his eyes widened and he ran out of the door, following you as you led him to Thatch who was bleeding out on the floor. Marco knew there wasn't time to get him into the and got work. "What happened?!" 

"It was Blackbeard, wasn't it?" your lip trembled and you held his head in your lap. All Thatch could do was nod. "I'm so sorry...I knew there was something wrong..." you choked out your words, "I should've told you about it. I saw the way he was looking at the devil fruit when you showed it to us...I should've told you to eat it and I'm so sorry!" 

Thatch shook his head. "It's okay..." he coughed and you knew how hard it must be for him to talk. The stab wounds were in his chest and back and probably punctured a lung. "You-wouldn't have known he'd do this.." 

"But-"

"It's not your fault, (y/n)." he kept trying to talk to you and it was getting increasingly more difficult. "Don't..go after.. him." 

"Thatch you need to stop talking, it's making things worse!" Marco told him as he tried his best to save his friend. 

Ace wondered outside after hearing the commotion. He yawned, not knowing what was going on yet. "What's happeni-Thatch!" he rushed over to his crewmate, not knowing what to do. 

You watched helplessly as Marco's blue flames tried desperately to heal the wounds. "Marco we need to get him into the infirmary now! He's losing a lot of blood!" 

He nodded and stood up. "Ace help me take him! Be careful, he has stab wounds all over his chest!" Ace was pulled out of his stupor and quickly lent a hand and helped Marco to get Thatch in to the infirmary. "Go and get Pops!" Marco yelled out to you, but you stood there for a moment. You knew it. You knew there was something about Teach that you couldn't trust. Your fists and jaw clenched and you shook with anger. But you shook yourself out of it and ran to Whitebeard's room. You knew you were supposed to knock on his door but you ran in and shook the old man awake. "Pops! Pops! Wake up! Thatch is hurt and I don't know where Teach is!" It only took him a moment to wake up completely. "Thatch is in the infirmary, but... I don't know how much Marco can help him..."

"Come on." he got up and you both hurried to where they all were. Marco was putting blood into Thatch's arm and Ace was doing what he was told to do by putting pressure on the wound that was bleeding the most which was right by his heart. Thatch was groaning in pain, and blood dripped out of his mouth. All you could do was watch as the three of them spoke to each other. Everything was quiet and you could see their mouths moving but you didn't know what they were saying. Your eyes were on the man who lie dying in the bed and all you could think of was the fact you could have stopped it from happening. Why didn't you tell him to just eat it? 

You don't know how long had passed but you noticed the disheartened look on everyone's face when their lips stopped moving and so did their actions. Ace's arms let up and softened as they defeatedly dropped to his side. Marco's hands that were desperately looking for a pulse, now hung at his side as well. Whitebeard's fists clenched and unclenched, the muscles in his arms contracted as he did. "He's gone..." were the first words you heard when you snapped out of it. 

All you could think of was that you could have stopped it. Thatch would be alive and would be having the time of his life as a devil fruit user. 

"I should've listened..." Whitebeard spoke up and looked over at you. 

Him saying that just made it all feel even worse. Ace made his way over to you and took you in his arms for both his, and your comfort. Thatch was one of his first friends he made on board and the two had become rather close as time passed. You sobbed into his chest, grief and regret washed over you and you felt heavy. There wasn't much you remembered from that night after that. 

***** 

A few days later, Ace was getting ready to leave. Angered by Blackbeard breaking the number one rule that they had on the ship, he wanted to avenge his friend. 

"You don't have to do this! Even Pop's is telling you not to!" you yelled at him, your face was scrunched up with anger as you pointed over to the Whitebeard. 

"Yes I do! He broke the one sacred rule that we have! Not to hurt or kill each other!" 

"Why won't you listen to us, Ace?! Why won't you listen to me?!" you emphasized the last word. He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "I have to." 

"Boy, I don't have a good feeling about this one. Just let it go this one time." Whitebeard tried to coax him back but he was already grabbing his backpack that was at the ledge.

"I can't! Thatch will never be able to rest easy knowing that he's out there!" Ace jumped down to the boat that was in the water and everyone called out to him. 

Before you knew it, he began to get further away. "STOP!" you screamed out furiously. The boat stopped in its tracks. No one on the ship had ever heard you sound that angry before and neither had Ace. "You promised me! You fucking promised me Ace!" you hit the ledge of the boat, splitting the wood beneath your fists. "You promised me that you wouldn't do anything stupid! You know what I've been through! You're breaking your promise! Thatch told me not to go after him and you'll be stupid if you go ahead with this! I will NEVER forgive you if you don't come back!" 

You watch his shoulders slump and his head hangs low. After a few seconds, you could tell he took a deep breath and he lifts his head again and looks back, locking eyes with you. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, (y/n)." were the last words you heard from him before he took off.


	5. Hold Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter and I hope you guys enjoyed my story! I had a lot of fun writing it! :) The battle is going to be a little patchy because well, it's a long ass battle and I honestly don't want to waste time writing it all when you guy know what happens. 
> 
> *WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN TO THE MARINEFORD BATTLE*
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrf5qbKq4Co (The song that was sung at the end if you'd like to listen to it)

Marco stood with Izo and the two of them were holding the paper that had just gotten delivered earlier in the day. You couldn't hear what they were saying but when Izo looked up to see you he tried to swat the paper away and Marco held it behind his back. 

"Wow, that wasn't obvious at all." you rolled your eyes. Ace leaving had left you in a terrible mood and it showed. "Give it." you held out your hand and as much as Marco didn't want to show you, he handed you the newspaper. On the first page in large letters read: "THE EXECUTION OF FIRE FIST ACE." The color drained from your face and the two men looked like they were about ready to catch you if you fainted. Your fists tightened around the thin paper and you made your way up to Whitebeard. You tossed it up at him angrily. 

"This is your fault! You let him go and didn't try to stop him hard enough! How could you let him go like that?!" you could feel your voice about to crack and your bottom lip trembled. You couldn't help it. Two weeks after your crewmate, Thatch's murder, you hear that your boyfriend is about to be executed so you didn't exactly know how to process it very well. It wasn't Whitebeard's fault and you knew that. But it didn't feel like there was anyone else to blame on the ship so you let your anger out on him. He understood. "...We're going to get him...right?" 

"You think I'd leave one of my son's to get executed without doing anything about it?" 

When he said that, it made you feel a little guilty for yelling at him and your shoulders slumped. "Are we even going to get there in time?" your eyes were brimming with tears as you hoped you'd all make it there in time. "I can't...Pop's I can't lose someone I love again!" your tears flowed down your cheeks and you couldn't wipe them away fast enough before more came down. The crew looked at you with sympathy in their eyes. "It would break me...I can't watch the two people I've loved get killed right in front of me. I can't do it again." you crumpled to the floor, a sobbing mess. You hated everyone seeing you like this and they never have. There have been a lot of firsts these past few weeks. They hadn't seen you as threatening. angry, or upset as you have been recently. But at the same time, 

Whitebeard's gaze was soft and sympathetic, just like the rest of them. "I won't let you go through that again." 

The words barely registered but you felt a pair of hands on your shoulders and they lifted you up. "Come on..." the blonde man led you to a quiet place for you to let everything out, knowing that you didn't want to be sobbing in front of the crew. 

"Why me, Marco?" you asked through your sobs and he sat you down on the couch. "Why do the worst things have to happen to me? I don't get it? What did I do to deserve this?" Marco knew about your history and what had happened to you in the past. 

He didn't exactly know what to say at this moment so he thought that maybe silence was the best option. He put his hand on your thigh and patted it. The only words he spoke being, "We're going to get him back." 

His presence was comforting. You don't think you'd be able to be alone right now with what you just read. His picture was the only thing you could see in your head and he looked so defeated. You dropped your head in your hands for a moment before wiping all of the tears from your red and puffy face. "Marco?" 

"Yeah?" 

Your head now went to his shoulder as you rested on it and sniffled. "Thank you." 

The news had spread all over by this point and everyone was talking about the execution of Fire Fist Ace. The closer it came to the day, the more nervous you got. You hadn't slept in days but you didn't feel tired at all. There was so much adrenaline running through you that it felt like you were going explode. You could sit still and more than once, someone had to force you to sit down and reassure you that we were almost there. That you were going to see Ace and everything was going to be okay. Marco or Izo were usually the ones who tried to calm you down and they helped for a few moments, but it didn't last for too long. You wiped your sweaty palms on your pants while your leg shook. Izo sat next to you and he gave you a glass of water. "Drink. We're going to be there soon so you should really rest up." 

"Izo, do you really think I'm going to be able to get any sort of rest? Especially if we're close." you drank the water he handed you and set it down after you were done.

"No, but you should at least lie down." 

"I appreciate it," you stood up and went to the door. "But I can't rest knowing that Ace is on a fucking chopping block right now." You left the room and went to the deck, sitting on the bow of the Moby Dick. You sat with your hands in your lap, looking around to see ships ahead and beside yours. You could tell you were getting closer because of how many more marine ships there were. You were outnumbered in terms of ships, but you knew that the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates were monsters. What you were most scared of were the admirals. They were a force to be reckoned with and if push came to shove, you knew you'd be no match for them. 

Soon, Marineford was in view and you took deep, shaky breath. Whitebeard came up to stand behind you and the rest of the commanders did the same, spreading out on the deck of the ship. You looked up to see Ace who was on a tall platform. He sat on his knees, his hands shackled behind his back and head hung low. He glanced up to see his entire crew-his brothers, and you- who came to save him. Seeing him up on the platform looking like that, brought tears to your eyes and had to look away. When he noticed everyone he started to tear up too. 

"Why couldn't you have just listened to me?!" you stood up, screaming at him. "You wouldn't be in this mess if you just LISTENED!" 

Ace didn't respond, he couldn't because he knew what you said was true. He should have listened to you. He thought about it, especially after you said that Thatch didn't want you to go after him, so why should he? He was being selfish and wanted to get his revenge for his friend. Now he understood that it wasn't the right thing to do. 

Everything was a blur after that. Tsunamis created by Whitebeard surrounded Marineford and when they hit, that's when everyone charged in. You began singing as you fought. Your voice carrying to your crewmates who were in your vicinity and powered them up. When the enemy realized you were helping your crew by powering them up, you were targeted more. You weren't going to let that stop you though. Even if Aokiji himself came down-and you knew he was here-to fight you, you weren't going to stop. You were terrified of the man, but nothing scared you more than losing Ace. So if it helped them and you could get Ace back safely, then you wouldn't stop. Only if there was no one around you to help and if you were by yourself. 

You heard a familiar voice while you were fighting. A man in a yellow shirt was running behind you while you made your way up through what seemed like, and probably was, thousands of soldiers to get to Ace. He was yelling to another large man behind him but you couldn't make out what they were saying to each other. 

"You're him!" you pointed to Luffy while the two of you ran. 

"Eh? Who are you?" he looked confused. 

"You and your crew saved me when I got captured by Aokiji!" 

"Oooh! I remember you now! That was fun!" he grinned at you, still fighting as you talked. "Are you here to help my brother?" 

"Brother? ..You're Luffy? Ace told me all about you-look out!" you pushed Luffy down as a sword almost came in contact with his neck and you blocked it using haki. You pushed the sword back and kicked the man in the face, sending him flying. 

You both looked up simultaneously to see the two men on either side of Ace, raise up their swords and begin to bring them down. 

At the same time, you and Luffy screamed. "STOP!!" 

"NOO!!" you had never screamed that loud before. Everything went silent. Luffy and your screams being the only thing that was being carried though the air. You screamed so hard and loud that the people around you could feel and see the ripples in the air. Many of them covered their ears when they started to bleed and thousands of them dropped like flies from Luffy using his Conquers Haki. At that moment, you didn't care who was effected by your voice. Even your crew covered their ears with their hands after hearing your scream. 

Seconds later, you and Luffy stopped, not caring what had happened and continued rushing on towards Ace and not noticing the thousands of bodies that were on the ground. You both easily fought off the few that weren't effected by the haki or your scream. Soon the two of you made your way up to Ace with the help of your crew and the people who were backing up Luffy to begin with. 

While running up the makeshift bridge that was made for the two of you a man who was sitting up at the top came down, ready to attack you both. But Luffy stopped to power up his punch back. "Keep going!" he shouted to you and you did, hoping that he would be able to attack this man in time. Then you heard a fist connect with something and you saw the larger man flying above your head, clearly knocked out from the punch. You leaped onto the platform with Luffy just in time for the bridge to collapse. The fleet admiral was atop, waiting for you two. 

"Ace!" you smiled when you saw him, you weren't completely safe yet, but seeing him at this moment was enough. Luffy ran over and it looked like he had gotten a key to the shackles somehow. But Sengoku had other plans. His body began to grow and your eyes widened. "H-hey I think we have to hurry it up a little!" your eyes went to Luffy and then back to Sengoku who was about ready to punch the three of you. 

Luffy's stomach swelled up as he blew into his thumb, "Giant Balloon!" Just as Sengoku's fist was about to connect with the platform, Luffy blocked it and shielded the three of you from the attack. It easily broke the scaffolding, causing you all to tumble down. Ace was freed from the sea prism restraints when he grabbed you and his brother and his flames surrounded you. The fiery man grinned at you and pulled you close to him as you all fell through the sky until you reached the ground. You could hear everyone calling out his name excitedly. There wasn't any time to rejoice because of all the enemies that surrounded you. Through everything, you hear your Captain's voice now. 

"This is my final order to you all!" he shouts. "I want you to survive!" 

You hadn't realized just how hectic it had gotten in the time you'd Luffy went to save Ace and you looked down to see Whitebeard with wounds covering his chest. "Ace let's go!" grabbing his hand, you pull him along where his brother was now running to, probably leading you both to his ship. You all fought those who surrounded you but it was the admiral who was behind you that worried you. 

As soon as Ace heard him talking ill on Whitebeard, he stopped in his tracks. 

"Ace we have to go!" you tried to pull him but he didn't budge. "Ace please!" you begged him, trying to pull him away harder but his arms got too hot to hold as they turned into flames, forcing you to let go of him. "Ow.." 

"You Captian will never surpass Roger!" Akainu barked out at him, obviously trying to start something and because Ace was sensitive to anyone bad mouthing Whitebeard, he lunged at him. Him Akainu lunged at each other. One's fist engulfed in flames and the other magma. Their fists connected and Akainu easily overtook Ace, launching the man backwards as he collided with you and you both slid on the ground with you taking the brunt of it. The dirt scraped your elbows and body making you bleed. "Ace are you okay?" you cough out. 

Luffy had been fighting as well and got distracted by something and wasn't paying attention to the fight that was going on. 

"Now, watch." the man made of magma stepped forward and his fist was engulfed once again when his punch now aimed for Luffy. The boy looked up to see what was coming at him but the fist never connected. 

"Luffy!!" you screamed out. Ace was already a step ahead of you. Right as you were about to get up to stop the admiral, Ace was in front of him, blocking the attack that was aimed for his little brother. "No..." your voice was quiet at first. "ACE!" you were on your hands and knees as you wailed out his name. "NO!!" Luffy sat there, dumbfounded, not a word coming out of his mouth only broken sounds. 

Akainu took his fist from Ace's chest and his blood splattered onto the ground below while his necklace shattered. The beads rolled on the floor. Luffy crawled towards him and you sat there for a moment in complete shock. The tears poured from your eyes but no sound came out. Everyone around you was in complete and utter shock. "No.." you spoke shakily. 

Ace coughed and sputtered, speaking quietly to Luffy and you couldn't hear what he was saying to him. But before Luffy could respond to it, you notice Akainu gearing up to punch Ace one more time. Your eyes widen and you scrambled up from the floor running as fast as you could to try to get to Ace, even though you knew he was probably already gone. 

Your crew knew what you were doing and they cried out to you. But it was too late. In your attempt to not let the admiral destroy Ace even further, his fist went through your chest as you shielded him, Luffy as well. You looked down to see Ace below you and your blood dripped down onto him. Akainu jerked his hand from your body making you stumble. Luffy's eyes went white and his friend Jinbe came to grab him. 

Your body slumped down and you looked at Ace, "Your-brother...he was the one...who saved me..." your words came out slowly, and you couldn't exactly breathe well. 

Ace smiled softly as it was all he could manage. "I didn't even get.. a chance to thank-him for that...I'm able to love you 'cause of that..." Salty tears continued to drip down your cheeks and you put your hand on top of his. "S-sing for me.." 

There wasn't much you could manage, but you wanted to try for him. If it was the last thing he wanted you to do then you were going to try your best. This was the song you would sing to him when he couldn't sleep and you knew it meant a lot to him. It wasn't pretty, but you were able to get the words out as best you could. It was rough, and slow, coughing almost every other word. 

"Take me by the hand~  
Lead me to a place where~  
Slowly back and forth~   
Moonlight dances on the water~  
It's only you me there~  
Through the rise and fall~  
Will you hold me while the waves sing us sleep~?  
Will you hold me while the waves rock us gently~?   
Feel the sway beneath our feet~  
Will you hold, just hold me~?" 

You watched as the little life that was left faded from his eyes, but the smile never faded from his lips. That's when you knew it was okay to let go. 

You knew this man would be the death of you.


End file.
